TIDES & CURRENTS Reading the Tables

General flow of water into and out of Puget Sound FLOOD EBB

Tide Stations Port Townsend Seattle These stations are measuring stations. All other tides in the Lower Puget Sound are calculated as offsets of these measurements. Port Townsend Seattle

Puget Sound – Secondary Tide Stations These stations are the locations where calculations have been established that allow tide predictions for an area closer to where you are boating.

Chart 30 View Blake Island/Vashon Island

Finding tides 1. Find the closest Primary Station to your paddling area Port Townsend Seattle For this exercise, we will be paddling around Blake Island. Hence, Seattle will be our Primary Tide Station.

Finding tides 2. Find the times of the tides at the primary station for the date of your paddle (for our example, May 13, 2017) Secondary Station Height Secondary Adjustment Primary Station Height Secondary Station Time Primary Station Time Tide 11.2 Feet -1.0 Feet 9.8 Feet 6.3 Feet 825 PM High 112 PM Low 622 AM 122 AM

3. Look under the primary tide station heading and find the secondary station(s) closest to your area of paddling

Chart 30 View Blake Island/ Vashon Island Here is our put-in and proposed route in green. Here are the closest secondary tide stations in red. The secondary station having the most impact on our put-in point is Point Vashon.

4. Enter the secondary station’s time adjustment into the calculation table High Water Low Water Secondary Station Height Secondary Adjustment Primary Station Height Secondary Station Time Primary Station Time Tide 11.2 Feet -1.0 Feet 9.8 Feet 6.3 Feet 825 PM High 112 PM Low 622 AM 122 AM + 0:02

5. Calculate the time adjustment for the secondary station. High Water Low Water Secondary Station Height Secondary Adjustment Primary Station Height Secondary Station Time Primary Station Time Tide + 0.02 11.2 Feet -1.0 Feet 9.8 Feet 6.3 Feet 825 PM High 112 PM Low 622 AM 122 AM

6. Enter the tide height adjustment into the calculation table. High Water Low Water Secondary Station Height Secondary Adjustment Primary Station Height Secondary Station Time Primary Station Time Tide + 0.02 11.2 Feet -1.0 Feet 9.8 Feet 6.3 Feet 825 PM High 112 PM Low 622 AM 122 AM 124 AM 624 AM 114 PM 827 PM *1.01 *1.02

*Note the asterisk … refer to the note 23 on page 11. 7. Calculate the height adjustment for the tide. High Water Low Water Secondary Station Height Secondary Adjustment Primary Station Height Secondary Station Time Primary Station Time Tide + 0.02 827 PM 114 PM 624 AM 124 AM 11.2 Feet -1.0 Feet 9.8 Feet 6.3 Feet * 1.02 * 1.01 825 PM High 112 PM Low 622AM 122 AM 6.4 Feet 10.0 Feet -1.0 Feet 11.4 Feet *Note the asterisk … refer to the note 23 on page 11.

Fern Cove At low tide

Now on to currents… The five primary current stations for Puget Sound are: San Juan Channel Rosario Strait Deception Pass Admiralty Inlet The Narrows

1. First we locate the prime current station that will most likely influence our paddle. San Juan Channel Rosario Strait Deception Pass Admiralty Inlet The Narrows

1. First we locate the prime current station that will most likely influence our paddle. Even though the Narrows is the closest primary current station, it does not control the flow of water at our paddling location. Admiralty Inlet The Narrows On a Flood, Admiralty Inlet controls the flow of water coming south and thereby dictates the current for Blake Island. The same is true on an Ebb flow. Can you see why?

If you hover over the tide or current stations, the http://sportkayak.net/ predictions/TNCMap.htm If you hover over the tide or current stations, the name of the secondary station will appear. Blake Island, southwest of

2. Look up the currents for the prime current station on the date of our trip.

3. Enter the times and the max currents on the calculation sheet. Primary Station Time Secondary Time Adjustment Secondary Station Time Primary Current (in Knots) Secondary Current Adjustment Secondary Station Current Ebb Slack 0248 Flood 0430 0.6F 0612 1030 3.0E 1418 1724 2.4F 2048

4. Look up the secondary current stations for adjustments Primary Station Time Secondary Time Adjustment Secondary Station Time Primary Current (in Knots) Secondary Current Adjustment Secondary Station Current Ebb Slack 0248 Flood 0430 0.6F 0612 1030 3.0E 1418 1724 2.4F 2048

5. Enter adjustments into calculation table. Current Primary Station Time Secondary Time Adjustment Secondary Station Time Primary Current (in Knots) Secondary Current Adjustment Secondary Station Current Ebb Slack 0248 -2.58 Flood 0430 -2.37 0.6F *0.2 0612 -1.06 1030 -0.25 3.0E 1418 1724 2.4F 2048

6. Calculate times and currents at the secondary station. Primary Station Time Secondary Time Adjustment Secondary Station Time Primary Current (in Knots) Secondary Current Adjustment Secondary Station Current Ebb Slack 0248 -2.58 2350 Flood 0430 -2.37 0153 0.6F *0.2 0.1F 0612 -1.06 0506 1030 -0.25 1005 3.0E 0.6E 1418 1120 1724 1447 2.4F 0.5F 2048 1942

TIDES CURRENTS High 624 AM 10.0 Low 114 PM -1.0 827 PM 11.4 Ebb 1005 Secondary Station Time Secondary Station Height High 624 AM 10.0 Low 114 PM -1.0 827 PM 11.4 CURRENTS Current 180 E 005 F Secondary Station Time Secondary Station Current Ebb 1005 0.6E Slack 1120 --- Flood 1447 0.5F